IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians (MI vs Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) match prediction

Will it be MS Dhoni and his finishing that grabs the spotlight or will the Mumbai Indians reign supreme at the Wankhede one more time in IPL 2017? The IPL 2017 Maharashtra Derby Part II promises plenty of action and excitement as MI host RPS in Mumbai on Monday.

RPS are the only team to beat the Mumbai Indians this season, when they handed Rohit Sharma's team a defeat in Pune in both sides' opening match of the Indian Premier League season.

Can RPS do a double on the Mumbai Indians?

Here is how the IPL 2017 Match 28 could go.

If Mumbai Indians bat first:

MI showed they are not just a chasing team by beating the Delhi Daredevils while defending a total last match, and with that renewed confidence, they go out to bat in splendid fashion in the first innings.

Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel only deal in boundaries as Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Stokes and Shardul Thakur are taken for plenty, with even the RPS spinner Washington Sundar unable to do much to stop the run flow.

The two MI openers put on 85 runs for the first wicket, which sets them up for a big, big score. There is a bit of a wobble when Parthiv, Buttler and Nitish Rana all fall close together, with Imran Tahir doing most of the damage, but Rohit Sharma teams up with Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers to push the Mumbai Indians score past 190.

RPS begin the chase really well as Rahul Tripathi and Ajinkya Rahane, playing on his home ground, get off to a searing start, making 61 runs in the Powerplay.

Tripathi is the aggressor in the partnership, with Rahane determined to anchor the chase from one end. When Tripathi falls to Krunal Pandya, Steve Smith comes in and the two experienced batsmen look under control in the chase.

Their half-century partnership sets the game up for Dhoni and Ben Stokes, and this time both of them come together to see RPS home.

If RPS bat first:

Tripathi is dismissed early this time, by McClenaghan, but Rahane and Smith come together to set a really nice platform for RPS. They ally for 78 runs at a decent run rate, which gives the likes of Dhoni, Stokes, Manoj Tiwary and Dan Christian an opportunity to go hell for leather in the final overs.

While Dhoni is unable to do that as well as he would have liked, there is no stopping Stokes, who has one of his best IPL games with the bat.

The Englishman races to a fifty off just 24 balls, and thanks to the Stokes blitz, RPS are able to make 189.

MI have been the masters of the chase in IPL 2017, winning five of their six matches while batting second. So, they know what is required.

Buttler, given the license again to throw his bat at everything, does just that and it comes off once more. The balls fly over the ropes at the Wankhede with regularity, with a couple of top edges also going for sixes.

While Parthiv falls at the other end, Buttler, with a strike rate of over 200, continues the assault with Rana, who makes 24 before being dismissed by Tahir.

Buttler gets to his half-century, before leaving the dangerous Mumbai Indians middle order a relatively comfortable equation to deal with. Rohit stays strong at one end and the Mumbai Indians are able to get to the target in the last over of the match.